1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a row crop attachment for a forage harvester and, more particularly, is directed to an improved row crop attachment or header which is adapted to harvest down and tangled row crops, such as corn.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Frequently, during corn harvest, the cornstalks are down and bent over, the stalks of one row laying across and entangled with the stalks of an adjacent row. Such down crop condition creates a problem in harvesting in that as the crop dividers move between adjacent rows the down stalks drape over the divider. The drapped over portions of the stalks are dragged along and over the divider as the stalks are conveyed rearwardly along the passageway by the gathering chains that grip the lower portions of the stalks to feed the same into the harvester, butt-end first. The draped-over stalks tend to wrap around the divider and bunch up about the rear end thereof, adjacent the discharge throat of the row crop header. This wrapping and bunching of the stalks causes jamming, resulting in high power requirements and an uneven feeding of the stalks to the harvester. Further, many stalks are lost and damaged due to the binding of the stalks over the divider which tears some of the stalks apart and pulls others out of the grip of the gathering chains.
Various row crop headers with a rotating member mounted on an end of an outboard divider, have been proposed to assist in the feeding of the stalks such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,388,538; 3,791,117; 3,803,820 and 3,807,152. While these prior art devices tend to somewhat alleviate the problems experienced in harvesting the down crops, they are not the ultimate solution in that their configuration and positioning creates a pinch or blockage area that wedges and collects the down stalks causing bunching and jamming thereof. Such proposed devices do not provide for a smooth flow of the stalks along the divider and the rotary member which is essential for the achievement of a continuous, uninterrupted feeding of the stalks to the harvester.